Harry Potter and the New Headmistress
by Writing Maiden
Summary: After Dumbledore's death a new headmistress is chosen. Will Harry ever be the same after his death... Will Hermione or Rufus find out who's the Headmistress...CCS crossover. I suck at summaries...
1. Chapter 1

_This is the first time i ever write this long so don't expect more

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_Albus, what will we do without you _Professor McGonagall thought as she entered the late headmaster's office. She hoped that he didn't really die and that he would be there with his odd and ends. However, when she entered his office it was quiet, all the pictures of the past headmasters and headmistress looked solemn, even Phineas Nigellus. She had no idea what to do with his things. She was near tears when she looked through his things. Then she saw an envelope on the table. She took out a piece of parchment and started reading.

_Dear Minerva,_

_If you are reading this letter that means that, I am, undoubtedly, not in this world anymore. After living for nearly 2 centuries, one must be glad for this eternal rest. Of course, this came at the most inappropriate time for the battle with Voldemort –_McGonagall flinched at reading his name- _has just started, unless I was mistaken and Voldemort is defeated, you need not read the rest of the letter. One can only hope for death is which no be seen…_­­­­­­­- McGonagall sighed at that – _There will be another letter in the envelope and I urge you, that what you are about to read must not be told to anyone, be it the professors or the ministry or the Order of Phoenix. _

_Take the second letter to Fawkes and ask him to send it to her. After he goes, my office will be cleared out. I am sure you know what that means. _– McGonagall gasped at that-_It means that my successor is chosen and notified._

_After you do that, there will be a visitor. The time or date of her arrival is unknown but she will arrive. Only you will know that she is the Headmistress of Hogwarts_ _and the successor of the Order of Phoenix. She will be in charge of Hogwarts and the Order of Phoenix yet you, Minerva, must be the messenger. She will be running the ropes, as they say, behind the scenes while you will be the middle person. Do not question her or her judgments while in her rule. Although she may seem doubtful at times, I know whose hands I am putting the fate of Hogwarts to. I place my utmost faith and trust in her and I expect that you place your faith and trust in her too for she is our last hope for the worlds survival._

_New headmistress of Hogwarts is one of the most powerful sorceresses and that is all I can say. I hope it would calm you but this piece of information itself could lead to disastrous events. So I advice you that you MUST NOT tell this any piece of information to anyone under any circumstances unless she sees fit. Though it is because of secrecy that Harry is in dangerous situations, it would put him in more danger if he knew._

_Alas, I have a few words to say, you must convince the students to stay here, but do not slip that she is a sorceress. It might attract more enemies. Minerva, remember, nothing about or in this letter is said and after you finish reading this, burn this in Fawkes fire. I trust you will follow my instructions. You will leave the finding of replacement for Potions and DADA and convincing Harry Potter to attend school this year to the new Headmistress. In addition, I want the pictures of the past Headmasters and Headmistress to be moved and I do not want my picture in Hogwarts. Remember, do not doubt her and have faith and trust in her._

_Yours truly,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

McGonagall stood shocked _…replacement for Potions and DADA… _Did he know about Snape being a spy? …_And I want the pictures of the past Headmasters and Headmistress to be moved and I do not want my picture in Hogwarts… _She wondered why he would do that. _Oh Albus…_ She could never understand him and never will…_ replacement for Potions and DADA…With Dumbledore gone and the rumors that the subject is_ _cursed how is she going to find replacements…_McGonagall thought_. …convincing Harry Potter to attend school this year … _She wondered if the new Headmistress will be able to convince young Harry Potter to come…_After all he blames himself for Sirius' and Dumbledore's death. _McGonagall almost broke into a sob again.

She steadied herself and took the second parchment. She gave it to Fawkes and said, "Give this to her" her voice almost going to crack. She could see that Fawkes was crying and singing a sad song. It filled the room until Fawkes disappeared…

I bet you can guess where

Aithne was in a beach wearing a black bikini, her soft gleaming orange hair flowing down her back. The moment she stepped into the beach, boys swarmed her. After tons of bad pick up lines, one guy with messy silver hair and silver eyes came up to her. Before he could say anything a blue haired guy appeared, wrapped his arms around her, and said, "Sorry she's taken" all the guys except the silver haired one left disappointed. The blue haired guy looked at the silver haired one until Aithne said (more like screamed) "ERIOL! Nice to see you!" She hugged Eriol and he got a glare from the silver haired guy. "Shiro-kun. It's just a hug," she mumbled. Shiro was glaring while Eriol was smiling. Nobody was looking at them because they had a feeling that if they did they would be shot into the first circle of hell or an insane asylum. _At least they are not going all out. It's only the first circle of hell after all…_She laughed at that.

After they stopped the 'smile/glare contest and see who goes to hell or an asylum first' contest, Eriol asked Aithne "So where is my Sakura?" Aithne was disappointed that he didn't say my cute little daughter like he used to. "She said she didn't want to come today," Aithne said sadly. "You still live in the same place, right?" he asked for no reason. "Yeah" "So bye then" "See you later then. Bye"

After awhile, Aithne decided to leave. They changed and Shiro drove. The car ride was deathly quiet. "Can we go there instead?" she said her voice almost breaking up. He agreed knowing what was bothering her.

She and Shiro went to their secret, magically made house and the moment she closed the door she cried on Shiro's shoulder. The guilt finally weighed her down. He wrapped his arms around her letting her totally drench his clothes. He walked backwards until he reached the couch and sat on it. "It's my fault he…I thought that he was back to normal but he still mourning…" she said her voice muffled. "Shh…it's not your fault it was something you can't control," he said. "But I could have notice that he was there in my mind I could have notice that those feelings was not mine. If I did Tomoyo wouldn't have left Eriol…She wouldn't have move away…He would be saying cute little daughter or cute little sister and cute little brother-in-law" He winced at that 'cute little brother-in-law' Eriol always teased him how he was overprotective.

"Don't worry I'm sure there's a reason behind her disappearance. Like you said her aura was stronger since the last time you saw her…" Aithne cried out more. _Damn I made her sadder…when WAS the last time she visited…the last time she used to come here every summer and Christmas. But lately she hasn't come at all._ She cried for a while until she slept against his chest.

"Aine"

"Aine…"

She ignored the voice and snuggled closer. "Come on we better go back. I'm sure Eriol isn't there anymore and your father is gonna kill me if I didn't get you back in time" she looked at the clock and saw it was 9 o'clock. "Fine" she mumbled half-consciously walking toward the door.

"Ohayo, otou-san" Aithne said "Ohayo, Aine-chan" Fujitaka greeted his adopted daughter. "So why were you late last night?" he asked her. No answer…"Is something wrong?" he asked her. Although they were not related by blood, he could easily tell what she was feeling. Aithne sighed, "Last night, Sakura…" she felt a hand pat her head. "Aine-chan, it's not your fault" he knew she was talking about Sakura's occasional breakdown. "Li had to go because of obligations he has to fulfill as the next heir of the Li Clan" Aithne smiled. She knew that he was mocking that last sentence like that guy who came to take Syaoran.

"But I made Tomoyo go away. After she lost her love, she lost her best friend…All because of…" "Aine it's not your fault" he said in a stern voice. "Anyway Sakura hasn't lost them and she still has you…" he said in a kind voice. Aithne nodded. "Now where were you yesterday? I'm sure it doesn't take that long to get back from the beach" Aithne quickly stuffed all her food into her mouth and ran out. "Bye otou-san!"

After she left, he walked over to Sakura who was hiding behind a couch. "It's already been a year since Syaoran left, Sakura…He wouldn't want you to stay sad like this. I'm sure Syaoran will come back"

Aithne walked around Penguin Park for a while for the heck of it. She didn't know why she went out of the house. Nevertheless, she walked around reminiscing about the time she spent here with Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and occasionally Eriol. Syaoran always hated when Eriol was there, teasing him about things like Sakura, how Syaoran loved Sakura, how it touched him deeply on how Syaoran love Sakura and how the Sakura watching this year is so nice. The only time she ever made a serious conversation with Syaoran is when…

"_Syaoran… Are you sure you are doing the right thing?" Eriol asked. "Ceh what are you talking about?" Syaoran said, "You do know that your family will come for you one day…if you keep staying with Sakura one day you will break her heart" "I know…" "I really hope you do Syaoran-kun" Eriol said before turning back to his normal self…whatever normal is. _

Aithne went to a shop. They said the cake there was nice. _Even if it's the end of the world, he never worries. However, Sakura's always a different story. _"Kaijuu" she heard someone calling her. "Touya nii-chan I didn't know you work here" _But you work everywhere else so why not here._ "Since I work everywhere else why not here" he smirked. _Damn forgotten that he's a telepathic._ "Wait…you can't read my mind so how…" "Kaijuu, I'm your brother I know what's going on in your mind. Anyway it's troublesome"

"Yaya, at least it's not the opposite. You probably answer people's question before they said it. And it's because of WHO that it doesn't happened" she said in a superior tone. "And it's because of WHO that I had the problem in the first place" he shot back. "Well if it weren't for me you wouldn't know when boys was bothering Sakura" Touya put a plate with a piece of vanilla mango cake. After eating it, she said "Touya nii-chan I love you " while hugging him. "Here you go kaijuu" then he gave another piece of chocolate mousse cake.

"Hehehe. Thank you, Touya nii-san" she said, pleased. "No more for you. You'll get fat" "Mou" she pouted. "No" he said in a final tone. "Fine then" she walked towards the exits. "Bye, Touya nii-san"

"Ceh she goes after I stop giving her food, she eats just as much as the other kaijuu" Touya said before going back to work.

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"Aine-chan" Sakura called out to her. "Sakura! What are you doing here?" Aithne asked. "Today is a nice day and I wanted to eat a parfait" Sakura answered. Aithne smiled. _I wonder what made her go back to normal…Anyway it's nice to have Sakura back._

They reached the parfait shop and who was there but the guy who has every single job in Tomoeda. "Yo, kaijuu ichi, kaijuu ni" he greeted. _ I swear he's stalking us. _ Sakura walked pass him and 'accidentally' stepped on his right foot. "At least kaijuu ni doesn't step on my foot" he said and was answered with a painful left foot. "So, Sakura-chan, what do you want?" Aithne asked Sakura leaving a crying Touya behind. "Hmmmm…I want a…" Sakura felt something in their house. She heard Aithne said "Damn of all times to repay a debt, why now…" Aine said a few curses under her breath and stood up. "Aine-chan? Do you know the thing that's in our house?" Sakura asked. "Yeah…unfortunately. It's a messenger. That old coot Dumbledore finally croaked…and I have to run the school" she muttered another few curses.

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Plz review 


	2. Chapter 2

Yay!A bit of a writers block here and there but I managed to finish it. Plzzz review. Oh yea I did a few tweaks here and there. I change Aine to cute little sister instead of neice

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**Chappie 1: Decisions, matchmaking plan and a staring contest**

"Wahhhhh, it's so beautiful," Sakura said as she saw a phoenix in Aithne's room, trying not to touch it. "It would be, if it wasn't here to give me my doom," Aithne said bitterly. She went to the phone to call Shiro. "Eh what are you talking about? You keep saying that and then cursing so much that otou-san will ground you for years," Touya asked. "You would if you have to run a school with little brats," she said. "Hey Shiro-kun, can you come to my house please? I'll explain later. Thanks" she put the phone down. "No thanks I already got two," Touya said. Aithne was already too pissed to even bother. "At least we don't hex you," she mumbled. "Wait…Hex? It's a school for Sorcerers? " Touya asked. "No, it's a school for wizards"

"Aine-chan what the difference?" Sakura asked. She was listening intently to what she just said. "Wizards are similar to Wiccans like they both make potions and everything, but wizards can't tap into their powers directly, so they use wands. Of course, some might be able to tap into their powers once or twice but that need a strong surge of emotions. There are a few wizards that can tap into their powers directly are called people who uses wandless magic. Actually, they might be Wiccans only they don't know it. While Wiccans can tap into their powers, they use that power to ask help from the goddesses. We, on the other hand, can make our own power," she explained.

"You forget that we can also contact gods and goddesses," a voice said. It was Eriol. "So you felt it too, huh?" "Yes, I remember in my travels, Clow came across this wizarding school before. This phoenix's aura is the same as the one the headmaster owned" "Who is this headmaster you're talking about? From the way she cursed she really doesn't like him" Touya said. "Umm how to explain…" Aithne thought for a whole then she saw Eriol. "Tall old man, when I say old I mean OLD, like one-fifty old, long beard and half-moon specs. And he's as manipulative as Eriol. It's like Eriol in a different body and can hide his manipulative ness better. Not like Eriol ever bother to," Aithne stated matter-o-factly. _Syaoran probably kill himself if he found out there was another person that's like_ Eriol Aithne thought.

"Aine, I'm hurt. I'm not manipulative," Eriol said in mock hurt. "And you don't smirk" Shiro, who just entered the scene said. Eriol smirked. "Okay then" Aithne took the letter that was tied to the phoenix. She felt like tearing the paper apart so she tried relaxing by breath in and out. It seemed that the more she breathed the more she was angry until they could practically hear the air screaming 'RUN!' Shiro, after seeing Eriol, surprisingly, shivered a bit, knew if she was angry enough to make Eriol shiver, he should stop her before she injures some one. "Aine… the letter…" "Oh…yeah" she tore the envelope open and read;

Dear Aithne,

I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, bestow upon you the post of the Headmistress of Hogwarts and the successor of the order of Phoenix. May you take care of your students with discipline and kindness. You will have to find replacements for Potions and DADA. The previous professors left for certain reasons. And I would need you to convince Harry Potter to attend school this year. Please Headmistress' office to receive further information and to pack your things.

Sincerely,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

"That's was short" Touya said. "Yeah make is short and snappy so I don't burn it to ashes before reading finish and in case someone read it but me. He thinks of everything," Aithne said while crumpling the paper. She then burnt the paper in her hands. She was calm but in the deadly kind of way. "Potions and DADA. You have to be kidding me. I expected DADA but Potions too. Damn that damn school and that damn evil wizard and that damn stupid idiotic boy. You had to give me the biggest pile of work you can muster up didn't you. Hope you burn in hell Dumby" Aithne mumbled. "So…" Touya said impatiently. "Basically, I have to be the Headmistress of Hogwarts, School of Magic and Wizardry or something like that. And I have to find replacements for DADA, Defense Against Dark Arts, which is really hard because people think that subject is cursed because no teacher lasted for more than one year, and Potions, the teacher was only suppose to stay for one year which is a good thing because he can never get his nose out of people's business and he likes collecting people…"

"COLLECTING PEOPLE!" Touya and Sakura shouted. "Not literary, he likes to find people who has the chances of being famous and highly connected and make 'friends' with them so when they do become famous or highly connected he can ask them for favors or be showered by gifts from them" Aithne explained. "What about the boy?" "He's connected to the evil wizard, Lord Voldymot of something. See, when the boy, Harry, was like one year old or somewhere there, Voldy wanted to kill the boy because he was in a prophecy saying that Harry would be the downfall of Voldy. But it's not sure because they didn't say it pacifically, like all prophecy, so it could be the other guy, what-his-name, a scaredy-cat squib but the chances are slim since Harry was already marked" "Squib?" "A wizard that can't perform magic properly. So Harry was mainly the reason Dumby was killed, I think, I'm not so sure that's why I have to go to the school next week or two, three. I need to clarify things"

"Next week? It didn't write it here," Sakura asked. "I'll give you time to convince me whether to go or not to go…" Aithne said. "Well, I for one do not want you to go to this place with an evil wizard and everything" Touya said. "But we should help those poor people" Sakura said. Aithne looked at Shiro and Eriol wanting them to say something but she knew Eriol would say the opposite of Shiro so that would be a tie. Touya gave the 'I don't want you there' look. Sakura gave the cute 'do what's right which is what I would do' look. Then Aithne saw that under her eyes had circles. Then an idea popped into her mind. She sighed, said, "I'll think about it", and went away.

Aithne and Shiro were laying on a sofa, Aithne on top of Shiro, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat like a lullaby. "What are you thinking of?" Shiro asked. "Whether to go or not to go" Aithne said. "Lair" "Why would I lie?" "Because you are hugging, kissing and groping me" "Which is a bad thing?" she smiled slyly. "Yes. Because you want to punish yourself for making Tomoyo leave, although you didn't do it, and Syaoran broke up with Sakura so you don't want to be happy because Sakura's sad…unless you have a plan to get Sakura and Syaoran back together" "You got me" she giggled. "So what's the plan?" he asked. "Well…I have no idea…Hogwarts is a well known school right so I convince the old coots to allow Syaoran to go there and Sakura will 'coincidentally' be there also…but I'm having a problem with the teachers…I have to hire one I trust but nobody in the magical world can be trusted. Should I make Sakura the teacher? However, Syaoran would be the student and that would be kinda awkward…" "IF you can get the elders to let Syaoran go," Shiro said. "Yea yea"

"Make Touya the teacher then. Kero and Yue also" Shiro suggested. "Touya can be the Potions teacher and Kero and Yue can be the DADA teacher who better to be that then them…But what about Eriol?" "He should decide that for himself…" Shiro said in discomfort. "But you prefer him not to go" Aithne smirked. He said nothing. "Why do you dislike him so much anyway?" she asked. "No reason..." his lips caught hers. He slid up using his hand to support him. He kissed softly, roughly, passionately. She kissed him back just as softly, as roughly, as passionately. They never kissed like this since Sakura and Syaoran broke up. She missed it those days before Tomoyo went, when Eriol was happy, in a weird kinda way, before Syaoran went, when Sakura didn't cry everytime. She was gonna fix that she'll make sure of that...

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"Good morning Aine-chan" Fujitaka Kinomoto greeted his stepdaughter. "Good morning, otou-san!" Aithne greeted back. She sat on the table and started eating really, really fast. She asked, "Otou-san I was asked by the Headmaster of Hogwarts to become his successor can I go and can I take Sakura and Touya with me?" "Yes, be careful there they said that an evil warlord is trying to take over the wizarding community, and if they say yes" "Thank you, otou-san" then she was going to run out but "Aine-chan, why is your lips swollen?" he asked. "Umm…" Aithne was already near the door "I ate too much apricot" and ran out.

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Touya walked around Penguin Park trying to find Sakura. "Sakura Sakura where are you Sakura? Here little monster monster monster" Touya said. "Touya nii-san" Sakura said behind him with glowy red eyes. "Sit?" Touya said in a failed attempt to order her.

"Oh you're here" Aine called when she meet them. Sakura was dragging a very beaten up Touya. They walked (and dragged) back to the house.

"So I decided to do to Hogwarts and accept the position…" Sakura looked happy but Touya wanted to bug in "and I want u both to come with me" Touya shouted a protest "No way am I letting you got to that _school_! It's too dangerous with the evil wizard and…" he ran out of excuses… he stood there crossing his arms over his chest as if to strengthen his umm his ummmm oh yeah disagreement. "Touyaaaaa-niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-sannnnnnnnnn" Sakura said with her big sparkling eyes. "No.". Then Sakura also crossed her arms and tried to stare Touya down…

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Shiro walked in. "What's happening?" "They are trying to stare each other down. Wanna popcorn?" she held out a bag of popcorn (where did that come from?). He took some and sat down on a chair (was that there before?). Then Kero and Yukito came in. "What are they doing?" "Staring contest" "Can I have that?" Kero pointed at the popcorn. She handed out the popcorn.

Munch munch munch munch………………

Munch munch munch munch munch munch ………………………

Munch munch munch munch………………

Eriol came in, took a bunch of popcorn and sat down "It doesn't hurt you to ask you know" Aine said annoyed.

"It hurts my reputation. Anyway it never runs out" Eriol said matter-o-factly

"How long do you think they're gonna last?" Aine asked

"Not long…" Shiro said. "What makes you say that?" "You see the veins popping from annoyance," he pointed at their head. "Oh"

Munch munch munch pop pop pop…………..

Munch pop munch pop munch munch pop pop………………

"You know there's a pop for every munch we do"

"I think we should stop. They could hurt themselves…or us"

"Yeah but how?"

Munch thinking pop munch thinking munch pop pop…………..

Pop thinking thinking munch pop munch pop thinking munch …………..

"CAN YOU ALL DO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T MAKE NOISE!" Sakura and Touya shouted. They tried to stare at each other but was to annoyed to concentrate. "I give up" Touya said. They are going to go anyway so he might as well follow them.

"Okay then since I'm gonna be the headmistress I have to appoint a teacher" Aine said, never skipping a beat. "Touya can be the Potions teacher. You're gonna have to do a crash course on Potions though" she said to Touya. "Kero and Yukito will be the DADA teacher. Kero works as Yukito's pet helper" "Why don't you ask Yue to teach instead?" Touya asked. "Because an angel would attract a bit too much attention duh" "As for me, Shiro and Sakura, we will pose as students"

"We'll look out for spies or something and get the location of Voldy, beat him then we come back" _With Sakura in Syaoran's arms_ "Simple" But she had this sinking feeling that it was not gonna be that easy.


	3. Chapter 3

**_No updates unless I get a hundred reviews muahahahaha! Just kidding (maybe...) I appreciate a review or two though_**

**Chappie 2: Smirks, plans and arguments.**

Touya came in the kitchen and made waffles. The moment it cooked finish, Aithne came down in her pajamas. "Food" she said while rubbing her eyes. Touya noticed that Sakura wasn't there which was kinda weird, she woke up early since Syaoran went away, cleaning, jogging anything that didn't make her think of Syaoran. She even wanted to cook but Touya wouldn't let her.

"Where's Sakura?" Touya asked. He was still a bit reluctant to go to a magical school in a magical world that they have never been to. "She's there to fetch someone," Aithne said. "Fetch?' Touya looked at her, he learned a long time ago that nothing is ever what it seems with Aithne. "Come one you know Sakura never do anything drastic, it's against her nature, which is exactly why I ask her to go" Touya was partly satisfied with that answer and nodded.

"But I hope nothing drives her to do anything drastic"

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Number 4, Privet Drive, was large and square. It had a low garden wall in front, a garden behind with flowerbeds and a greenhouse, and several chimneys. It looked like the other houses. "Hoe?" Sakura looked at the house. "I hope I got the right house" She walked towards the door and knocked. A woman answered the door. She had a skinny body and a long neck. 'A woman that looked like a horse' Aithne told her that and Sakura had to admit it, it was close. "Oh, what a lovely girl! Are you here for Duddydums? I'll call him" "No, actually I'm here for Harry Potter-san is he here?" Sakura said before the woman called out. Her expression turned from joy to spite. "Oh. He's upstairs," she said, leaving a confused Sakura.

Harry was packing his trunk when Sakura came to the house. He grew a few inches and he had broad shoulders now but he still was skinny from the lack of food. Aunt Petunia treated him a bit better but Uncle Vernon seems to hate him more. Dudley was still the same fat, bully and…fat. While he was thinking on what to do next, someone knocked on the open door "Umm Harry Potter-san?" he heard an unknown voice from behind him. He felt a wave of fear when he heard the stranger's voice. _Are they coming for me already, I have to get Aunt Petunia out of here. Remember your jinxes jinxes._ He grabbed his wand and pointed at the person behind him. He saw a girl. She had auburn hair and emerald green eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked her, gripping his wand. She caught herself, bowed slightly, and said, "I'm Kinomoto, no, I mean Sakura Kinomoto. Nice to meet you. I am here to fetch you" Harry looked at her cryptically "You are too young to be part of the ministry or a Death Eater" "The ministry?" Sakura looked confused. "Weren't you sent here to fetch me?" "Yes, by the new headmistress of Hogg-warts" "The headmistress was probably appointed by the Ministry so there wouldn't be any difference. Why would she send someone so young or maybe you are under Voldemort and this is just a disguise to make me lower my guard. Either way, I still won't go. I have a mission"

Sakura thought for a while, Harry was talking so fast and she didn't know much about the wizarding world that she couldn't catch up with what he was saying but she knew that the bottom line was that he refuses to go with her. "But Harry-san you'll get killed! Please let us help you!" Sakura said.

"Then help me by letting me go! I won't do any good in school. Only attracting danger and harming the ones I love" "You'll still hurt them if you disappeared. They will always worry. It won't make anyone feel any better by you leaving" "You-" an explosion, which came from the other end of the house, cut off Harry. "Death Eaters" Harry said. He looked out the door and true to his fears, he saw a few familiar faces he never ever wanted to see again. Sakura opened the window, took his hand and jumped out of the window taking Harry with her. He almost had a heart attack from the fall but he was miraculously unhurt after jumping a floor down. "What about my aunt!" Harry said. He grew an attachment to Aunt Petunia since he came back. "Don't worry they're after you" Sakura said as she started running. That statement was like a slap on the face.

Sakura ran and dragged Harry along, it took a while for him to get on his feet. It was a hard time to catch up with her. "But they might use her as a…" Harry said between gasps. He wondered how Sakura could run so fast at such an even pace. "Don't worry" Sakura gave him an encouraging squeeze. Then they stopped suddenly, "Why are we stopping?" Then a guy Apparated, or at least he thought he Apparated, in front of them, holding a…teddy bear in his hand. "Hi Sakura. Perfect timing, ne?" he said cheerfully like they weren't chased by Death Eaters. He held out the teddy bear "It's a portkey by the way" he said. Harry and Sakura touched the teddy bear and the usual nauseating feeling came.

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"Hoe?" Sakura said, very dizzily. "Harry-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked Harry. "Yeah, I'm fine. I can never get used to that feeling". The guy held out his hand to help Sakura up. "Thanks Eriol-kun" Sakura looked around and wondered why her sister wasn't there. "Where's Aine-chan?" Sakura asked. "She had some business to attend to" Eriol told her. Sakura shrugged knowing that that wasn't all. She was so used to her secretive sister and secretive half-father that she didn't really mind it much, her sister's past made her very cautious and she was beginning to open up and Eriol was…Eriol no changing that. She focused her attention to Harry, who was looking very confused. "Oh sorry Harry. I was speaking in Japanese"

"Umm yeah…ok. What about my relatives?" he asked nervously._ Why did I come with these people? Sakura is okay but Eriol is freaky_. "Don't worry they will be fine" Eriol answered. Harry nodded, deciding he can't do anything anyway. Ha was in god-knows-where and he can't fight all the Death Eaters. "So when can I go back?" he asked. Sakura wanted to say something but Eriol calmly cut her off "When you agree to go to Hogwarts with us" Eriol said with a smile.

"No" Harry said. "But Harry-kun!" Sakura said. "I told you I won't go there and endanger my friends! Like you said, they're after me! They'll end up just like Dumbledore if I go!" Harry shouted. He was beginning to get angry at all of them for trying to get him to go to Hogwarts, when he definitely did not want to, and reminding him about Dumbledore. Sakura looked at him with pity but Eriol didn't budge a bit. "So you would rather go on a suicide mission looking for the Horcruxes, which you have no idea how to find in the first place," Eriol said smartly.

"Yes!" Harry said but then he noticed his words and said, "I mean no! I know where to start" Eriol asked, "And if there isn't any Horcruxes there where will you go next?" Harry racked his brain for something but there was nothing. Eriol smirked. That was the last straw for Harry. He stomped away from Eriol, walking to…he had no idea where he was going. _But anything's better than being with him. _After a while, Sakura caught up with him "Harry-kun" he stopped. "Harry-kun Eriol didn't mean it," Sakura said. Harry gave her a look. "Okay, he meant it but you know it's true! If it turned out to be a dead end what are you gonna do? And you being dead will make things worse"

"So what you mean is that I'm so weak and dumb that I can't find the Horcruxes and die the second a Death Eater appears. You don't know what I've been through! I can take care of myself!" Harry shouted. "I know you aren't weak nor are you dumb and I wasn't saying that but you don't know how to find the Horcruxes or can you fight off a whole army of Death Eaters by yourself, no matter how strong you are. You won't be helping your friends by being dead. The headmistress can help you." Harry wanted to say that Hermione and Ron was going with him but that would make him look more like an idiot.

Harry looked at Sakura, her eyes pleaded to him. He sighed, giving up. Sakura and, as much as he hated to admit it, Eriol was right, he wouldn't stand a chance against Voldemort and he didn't even know where to look for the Horcruxes, if Godric's Hollow turn out to be a dead end. He silently nodded "But staying in school won't help either," he said. "We'll see about that," Sakura said happily.

On the way to Sakura's house, Harry asked, "Why do you trust the headmistress so much, she's under the ministry isn't she? They don't care about anyone but themselves" _Like Unbridge, Cornilius and Rufus and Percy and the whole ministry. _"On the contrary Harry, the new headmistress was elected by Dumbledore himself" Eriol said suddenly appearing behind Harry. Harry flinched "I'm sure you trust his decisions" Eriol added with a smirk.

--------------------------------

Aithne, escorted by two servants, walked down a hall. She looked around and saw Chinese style paintings, expensive Chinese style paintings. "They sure are rich" She reached a door and the servants opened it for her. She saw a very beautiful garden full of flowers and butterflies. Actually, it was more like a park. It had a small lake and bridge and a…training ground. "Caught me there," Aithne said to herself. Surprisingly it fitted the scenery perfectly. And there was a veranda, on it were a table and two chairs. There was a woman sitting on a chair, drinking tea. Aithne approached the woman. "Yelan, thank you for meeting me" Aithne said with charm and grace. Anyone who ever met Yelan would say she had an air of royalty around her and Aithne wasn't about to act like a fool in front of her. Yelan smiled, "Thank you for coming. Please sit down" Aithne sat down on one of the chairs. The servants put a cup in front of her and poured some tea into it before Yelan dismissed them.

Aithne sipped her tea and casually asked, "Did you manage to convince them?" Yelan slightly shook her head "No they still won't let him go back…We are running out of excuses and Syaoran is getting more and more restless. He lost his appetite, training more often and exerting himself, I'm worried about his health"

"Apparently breeding stronger sorcerers isn't a good enough of an excuse. What happened to survival?" Aithne muttered. Yelan put her teacup down "They won't acknowledge Sakura's power. They still think that Sakura stole the Clow Cards from us" Yelan gave her a look and Aithne understood what she meant, "Yes and I have no intention to ask Eriol to tell them otherwise," Aithne said calmly. Yelan looked disappointed "Why do you insist upon keeping Clow Reed in the dark?" "The first thing _Eriol _would say is that he isn't Clow Reed. You don't know Eriol, if we were to introduce him to the clan how do you think they would react? He would hate it and he will make the situation worse"

A few moments of silence passed. "Yelan, I understand that you care for the Li clan's survival but can't you find another sorceress? I'm sure there are some that can live up to your standards…" Aithne let it hang there. Yelan sighed, "I was never a mother to Syaoran, I had to teach him, train him, and treat him as the heir to the Li clan, never as my son. I am not blind, though Syaoran might think I am, I can see how he feels about Sakura. She's the reason he smiles. You know, he never smiled wholeheartedly before. It had always been to please me. Sakura changed him. I might not have been a mother to him but I want him to find happiness. I can't stand to see him like this now…"

Aithne smiled, "I have another idea. However, it requires a bit of lying in your part," Aithne said. Yelan looked curiously at Aithne "Yes?"

"How do they feel about magical schools?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chappie 3: Love**

"Sakura I'm home!" Aithne called out. She went to the kitchen and saw Sakura eagerly chatting with a boy who she guessed was Harry. He was exactly like how Dumbledore described him. Jet-black hair and emerald green eyes. Looks like James but has Lily's eyes, though she never met them before she saw some of their pictures. A bit on the skinny side, quite tall, not bad considering what he looked like when he was 11, a skinny knobby-kneed boy who was always bullied. His eyes were very different…it looked so much stronger yet, so much weaker compared to before. He had bags under his eyes showing that he hadn't slept for a while.

"Aine-chan the wizarding community is so interesting. We're going to Diagon Alley to get our stuff right? But Harry-kun said that the wand maker moved out so we'll have to find another one" Sakura said in one breath. She took a breath and asked, "Where did you go?" "To talk to a wandmaker," Aithne said with a smile. That lie came out almost instantly. Aithne felt a bit guilty, she always wanted to stop lying straight out but old habits die hard.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "So when are we going to get them?" Sakura said eagerly. "Later, it's only the first week of summer holidays anyway" Aithne shrugged it off. It wasn't a lie anyway, she did find a wandmaker, she just lied about when. "Harry-kun said that his friend's brother getting married, I'm going to go with Harry, wanna come?" Sakura asked. She didn't even think that Aithne might not allow, maybe she did but Aithne didn't say anything against it. "Sure I'll bring Shirou along too"

"Umm how are we going to go there?" the long forgotten Harry asked. He felt awkward around them. "You put a translation spell on him?" Aine asked Sakura. "Yeah, it seemed more convenient" "Oh" Aithne was glad that they didn't say anything confidential in front of him.

"I suppose we'll go there by portkey" Aithne said. "But do you know where they live?" Harry asked, wondering whether it was a stupid question or not. "They live in The Burrow, right? Unless they are having the wedding in Grimmauld Place but I really doubt that" Aithne said. "How did you know about..." Harry was smart enough to know that that was a stupid question. Aithne gave him a smile in a mocking kinda way.

Sakura yawned "I'm going to sleep. You should really go to sleep too Harry-san, it looks like you haven't slept for awhile" she added and went to her room. Harry looked stunned. "Don't underestimate us Harry. The headmistress wouldn't have trusted us if we can't see through a simple glamour" Aithne said, trying to remember which book had the ingredients to the dreamless potion.

-------------------------------------

"Aine-chan!!!!!!" Sakura shouted out. She was wearing a light pink three-quarter skirt with pretty bead patterns sewn onto it and a white frilly short sleeved blouse that bunched up at the hems. A pair of rose quartz earrings that was given by Aithne as a birthday present adorned her ears and she wore a silver choker with a matching bracelet.

"Yeah, yeah!!!" Aithne raced down the stairs wearing a dark red sleeveless shirt and a dark blue gypsy skirt that reached the ground. She had a big tear shaped blood red ruby hanging on a rustic gold chain around her neck and a similar bracelet with small chunks of crystals dangling brightly on her wrist. On her ears was a pair simple ruby earring.

Harry looked at the sisters. It was hard to believe that they are sisters, with Sakura's bubbly personality and Aithne's mockingly mysterious attitude. The past week Sakura was kind and understanding but it always seems like she didn't know something yet she did, especially when he asked about the new headmistress. While Sakura was apologetic about not knowing something, Aithne made sure you knew that she knows something that you don't know. She acted cold yet she made him a potion for dreamless sleep and asked Sakura to send it to him.

Sakura and Aithne were scurrying around looking for stuff. You wouldn't think that they were in the Headmistress's confidence.

"Trying to figure them out?"

Harry nearly jumped out from his skin. He looked back and saw Touya, who Harry found out was the brother to Sakura and Aithne and had a thousand jobs.

"You have better luck solving a Rubik cube. Give it up, give it up" Touya patted Harry's head like a little brat and went to calm down the two girls. He called them both kaijuus and miraculously came out unscathed.

The door bell rang. Sakura and Aithne were busy, busying and Touya was trying to help them so Harry answered it.

Shirou and Eriol stood at the porch. Shirou wore a dark blue T-shirt with a blue jean and two earrings on his left ear lobe. Eriol wore a neat light blue shirt with a khaki pants. Harry felt weird wearing dress robes. He had never been to a wedding, magic or otherwise, before, so he was unsure.

Harry didn't ask how they were going to the Burrow because, like every other question, she would either make him feel stupid for asking a, in her point of view, stupid question or she would brush off his question. When they don't tell him anything it means he isn't supposed to know, so there would be no point in asking. However, they, or Sakura at least, try to compensate their secrecy by telling him things he could know, even though he didn't ask or think of it.

Still, he was curious but there were no opening or slipups and he couldn't find any so he gave up.

For the moment.

--------------------------------

"There you are, Harry dear. Glad you could come. And who did you bring with you?" Mrs. Weasley greeted Harry. He looked at Aithne, Sakura, Shirou, Eriol, Touya and Yukito, unsure how to introduce them.

"Umm, hi Mrs. Weasley. These are my…friends" Harry said unconvincingly.

Mrs. Weasley had no time to study them before Fleur called out. "Oh well dears, make yourself at home"

"They don't know about us, yet. Professor McGonagall will tell them in a few days. As far as they know, you were with the Dursleys for the past week. You can tell your closest friends but keep under warps. Wouldn't want to ruin such a nice wedding with reality" Aithne said briskly before dragging Sakura to see the magical flowers.

That was the kind of thing that made him confused, you never know if she's being considerate or alienating.

He went straight into Ron's room without running into any members of the Order of the Phoenix though he did bump against on of Fred and George's pranks. Or should he say it bump into him. When he walked into Ron's room he had a black eye and his hair was occasionally sprouting flowers.

"Hi Harry, nice to see you. You look…fresh today…" Hermione greeted him. Ron was laughing hysterically, causing Pig to get exited and move around his small cage.

"Ha ha," Harry said, brushing off the flowers from his shoulders.

"So, who was that girl you were with?" Ron said, trying to act, and failing miserably, like the question just popped into his head.

"Boys," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Can't think about anything other than girls"

Ron's ears turned red, "Funny, you said I didn't think enough about you"

Hermione ignored him and turned to Harry. "So what did you want to tell us, Harry?" she asked.

"Huh?" "Come on Harry, I know you know something but you don't know whether to tell us of not. So save us, well me, the trouble and just tell" Hermione said impatiently. Harry sighed and told them about what happened at the Dursleys, what little he knew and his doubts.

"Harry don't" Hermione said after he finished. "Don't what?" he already knew what she asked him not to do. "Snoop around. You know what happened the last time AND there's nothing out of the ordinary. So what if they kept where you lived for the past week a secret? It's to keep you safe" Hermione said matter-o-factly.

"I'm safe here or in Grimmaud Place" Harry said defensively.

"No you aren't. They know where Grimmaud Place is and we don't even know if it's safe anymore because Dumbledore was the secret keeper. No offence or anything Ron, but the Burrow isn't exactly the safest place in the world and they know where it is whereas that place is unknown to them and is probably in a different continent"

"I love you, Harry and you can't be reckless anymore with so much riding on you" Hermione cut Harry off.

"They could be Death Eaters" Harry mumbled.

"If they were, you would be dead. No point keeping you since Voldemort's already resurrected. Even if they wanted you alive, they wouldn't let you go off just like that. And she's right, you have no idea where to look for the Horcruxes" Hermione said, her voice clearly signaling the end of the conversation.

Ron finally said something, "You shouldn't worry too much, you'll sprout gray poppies" and laughed at his own joke.

--------------------------------

_Harry's here_ was the only thing Ginny Weasley could think off. She wanted to busy herself from thinking about him but her mind kept wondering towards him and Mrs. Weasley kicked her out because she couldn't concentrate on her chores. Now she had nothing to stop her from thinking about Harry. She sat beside a river, far from everyone, listening to the sound of the water flowing and letting her thoughts wander.

_He's going to leave after the wedding. I probably won't see him ever again. I'm just dead weight to him. I love him… _

Her eyes filled with tears. She rubbed them furiously and hugged her knees, cradling herself. When she heard the grass rustle from someone sitting on them, she hid her face, embarrassed.

"You love him"

That fact almost made her cry again. She made a throaty agreeing sound. The stranger sat silently, as if asking her to say something.

"He's going to leave me" Ginny said.

"Then stop him from leaving" the stranger said simply.

Ginny shook her head, still not looking up. "He has to save the world and he's protecting me"

"Stupid noble reason" Funny that's what she exactly said.

"I like that about him" she said defensively.

"But you _love _him. That far outweighs whatever you _like _about him. Unless you love that he's noble and selfless, then, you are better off looking for Prince Charming" the stranger said with a bite in her voice.

"He's just doing what best for me" Ginny explained.

"Yes, Voldy-_emort_ is probably gonna go after you if he found out, but now that you come to terms with the fact that you love him, can you imagine life without him? God I sound so corny" the stranger said as an afterthought.

Ginny pictured Hogwarts. Eating in the Great Hall, trying to get a glimpse of Harry. Classes, looking for Harry in the corridors. Looking for Ron, Harry's always with him. Going into the common room, more often than not Harry's usually sitting on the cushy red chair. Talking to Hermione which would lead to talking about Ron and his stupid-ness, clumsy-ness, whatever-ness and attached to talking about Ron would be Harry. Going to the Owlery, Hedwig would usually stand out. Harry's owl.

_I wonder if he's going to take Hedwig_ Ginny thought grimly.

"Sounds empty doesn't it? I'm not one to be romantic so I won't say it's the worse of tortures out there, trust me there are plenty that's worse than an empty heart. But it is worse than death. The emptiness. Half of the time it's like you aren't here or there, you just aren't" the stranger let it hang there. The rustling of the grass said that she? -He? It?- were standing up.

"You can say that Voldemort's tortures aren't as bad or be a romantic and say that nothing's worse than an empty heart but in the end only you can get Harry to stay"

"There's no reason for him to stay"

"You love him. What more of a reason you need?"

Ginny looked up, wanted to say differently but the stranger was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chappie 4: Past**

"What are you doing here?" Aithne asked, embarrassed. She wondered if he saw the whole scene.

"Watching you" Shiro said simply.

"You really don't value your life" Aithne said while walking past him. The sentence was automatic, her defense for almost everything. Find herself an underdog or in an awkward situation, threaten them or be sarcastic or just sock them. But neither of that works with him.

He whirled her into his arms, her back against him, "All the tortures in the world is nothing compared to an empty heart" he whispered into her ear. Her cheeks turned red.

"Just in case Harry decides to bolt…but it might have an opposite effect" she shrugged. He turned her around, pressed her body against him and gave her a rough kiss. She could feel this burning in her that reached to her toes. A slow kind, but she knew if he wanted to, he could burn her inside out. She hated it and liked it; whirlwind of emotions he could lure her into.

He gave her a nip on her lip before pulling away. "You don't have to pretend with me"

-------------------------------------

_Thank you _Aithne said silently as she felt an intruder, well, intruding the border she placed around The Burrow. The joy and the merriment and the sniffy noses had her begging for normal complications which usually just need a good stab in the heart to solve.

_They act like he just died or something _Aithne thought while weaving quietly through the guests.

She purposely avoided Shiro, what happened before was still fresh in her mind. He made her feel, ever since she laid eyes on him for the first time, or more like ever since he laid eyes on her; for even if he stood in front of her, she would've never noticed him, or anyone for that matter, no one was significant enough in her narrow world. Then he wormed, coaxed, blackmailed, annoyed, argued, and, dammit, enticed his way into her world. She hated the fact that he could do that but she could never hate him for being able to do that, and that's another hate in itself.

Happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin, so someone said; she threw out the coin.

When she was far from the Burrow, she looked around for people, intruder or intruded. When she was satisfied that there was nobody around, she called out her Cards.

"The Fool" she said quietly. A heavenly wind flowed, enveloping her, making her hair shorter, brown, her eyes, which were soft orange, turned pitch black, taller. When the mystical mist disappeared she waved her spear and a mirror image appeared. A tall woman with chopped brown hair and empty eyes wouldn't be connected to a new student. This image was taller, slimmer with a lovely figure and a sharp nose made for stubbing other people.

_It's in the blood I guess_ Aithne smiled ruefully at herself.

"Well I think this is good enough for a bunch of petty small frys" she summoned up her old dagger, the one she used for most of her life. The one with the blood of hundreds of people, including the one she loved.

_Bug off_ she told herself, gripping the dagger like she wanted to break it.

_Yeah, don't blame the dagger, after all it didn't make you kill all those people now did it?_

------------------------------------

_She stood there in the middle of a blood-covered field. The dead bodies, people she killed, around her were just an unnoticed lump. It was because he wasn't paying attention of them much and mostly because they were hacked and slashed beyond imagine, that they didn't look human anymore, just flesh and bones and blood._

_However, he wasn't looking at them, he was drawn to her. She was beautiful. She had this aura of power, real power, and hints of sadness. He wanted to hug her and make it all better._

"_They weren't human" he heard her say, with that oddly vulnerable voice. It was only then that he really noticed the bodies around her._

"_Yes they were" he said, at least two of them were, after all they were his parents, they nurtured him, taught him things beyond his imagination and was killed the same way, beyond his imagination. He didn't even know which of the bodies were theirs._

"_Then why? Why did they attack me? Why did they curse and scorn me?"_

_She lifted her hands, her dagger slipped out from her hand, like she was to weak to hold it. She looked at her hands. There was blood on it, so much that droplets of it flowed down her arm dark red against her pale white skin. "Or am I really a demon?"_

"_No I'm not. I'm NOT a demon!! I refuse, I refuse to be him, I refuse to have HIS blood in me!!! I don't want this!!!!! Why can't you just leave me alone!!!" _

_He didn't know whether who she was talking to, and he never asked, because she ran, like a wounded prey, into the forest._

-------------------------------------

Shiro snapped from his reverie and looked up at Aithne, it looked different, yet somehow similar, from the scene he remembered from long ago. She wasn't covered in blood, the bodies around her was just slashed on the throat but she was still beautiful with the aura of power that was still, and probably more, potent. So was her sadness and vulnerability. She looked just as defenseless, just as heartbreakingly miserable, he just wanted to hug her and wipe away all her tears.

_She would just push me away like always _Shiro thought ruefully, then raked his hair back angrily_ Dammit I love her but she won't hear it, can't hear it, don't want to hear it, because of Sakura, because of Syaoran, because of Tomoyo, because of every damn thing else. _He just wanted to pummel her or just kiss her until she finally let him in, but he knew either would break the already fragile string of their relationship.

_Sakura's mood change was only a temporary relief; she never wants herself to be happy, she's barely clinging to me through her insecurities and guilt, it'll swamp her one day and she'll push me away again _Shiro thought. He understood her and her thinking but it didn't stop him from wanting to bash her in the head.

"Shiro-kun?" Aithne called out to him and hopped across the corpses.

"Hi" he said smiling. When she jumped to hug him, he asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing" she said, feeling guilty. _I'm sorry._

She hugged him to feel safe, because she couldn't stand looking like _that_ woman, even if it's for a brief moment. But she couldn't tell him, that little thing in her won't let her. She was trying, trying so hard not to drift away from them and disappear from their minds. She could do it, just disappear, she had the power for it, all she needed was…

She nuzzled her face into his shoulder to ward off the thoughts.

He sighed and let it be and put his hand on her head, stroking down her silky hair "So are you done?"

"Yeah, just need to clean up"

Not moving from her position, she chanted, "9th pentacles, move these sinners where they do no harm" a glowing pentacle appeared around the corpses and in a flash of light they disappeared.

Seeing the blood and the damage to the ground, he frowned.

"Pure water vital and clean to our soul, give the pure and wash all foul" he whispered and from out of nowhere, not the sky, not the earth but just nowhere, came water that flooded. The blood seeped into the ground and grass started to grow rapidly until it looked the same as everything else.

_He's really mastering his powers, he didn't even need to specify how long the grass needed to grow or where the blood goes to _Aithne thought, looking at his work.

"Thanks" she said giving him a purposely chaste kiss and started to move away; only to be held prisoner by his arms. Though he didn't do anything but just hold her, her nerves felt like it was on electricity and she felt so aware of him, the way his body was pressed against her, the hints of muscles that she was sometimes oblivious to. The image of a nerd was still stuck from before she knew him.

She yielded and put her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest, soaking in the sensation. The guilt in her was held at bay.

Just for this short moment.

"Aine-chan!" Sakura called out.

Aithne heard it and the feeling of guilt flooded back. She forced herself to let go of him and tried not to be disappointed when she met no resistance.

"Hi Sakura-chan"

* * *

Sorry it's kinda short and i took a loooooooooooooooongggggggg time. I've been on a yaoi mania " 


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry if it seemed rushed. R&R. I hate my space bar. And also sorry for the lupin dissing.

* * *

Chapter 5: Thoughts and Regrets and Guilt 

Sakura immediately regretted looking for her sister. The wedding had her slightly disorientated. It was beautiful, the wedding, so heartbreakingly so. The sight of the happy people, happy surroundings and the happy couple had stabbed something in her heart. She looked for her sister, a measure of comfort, that someone in this world still loved her. Even when every fiber in her mind and body said that she should leave them alone, she called out to her.

She shouldn't have done that, she could tell from the resigned way Shiro looked at Aithne and the tiny bit of sadness didn't manage to be hidden from her eyes.

Sakura wandered sometimes whether she was doing this on purpose; driving a wedge that, slowly but surely, grew bigger and bigger by the second, between her sister and her lover. Her lover…not her boyfriend, her couple or any of those juvenile titles given to two people who liked or 'loved' each other. Even lover didn't do them justice, they were _soulmates_. They were each other.

And she lost hers.

Or maybe she never had it; that was the real question deep in Sakura's heart. What if he was never hers? What if he was never meant to be? What if, what if, what if, what if… So many of those crowding in her head…

What if she didn't want Aithne to be with her soulmate because she lost or didn't have one? She was her teacher, her lifeline, her best friend when no one was there, and sometimes, her surrogate mother. Who is the one who held her, when she was crying in the middle of the night, because he didn't reply her messages? Who is the one who taught her how to master her Clow Cards Who was the one who showed her so much more? Who is the one who _love _her out from her shell of depression?

And who is the one who selfishly repaid it all by tearing apart her happiness?

------------------------------------

"Se-ku-raa!!!!!!!" someone badly pronounced her name from behind. Sakura turned and saw a red haired guy. He was one of Harry's close friends, Ron?

Sakura forced a smiled at him and greeted him. He seemed to be thunderstrucked by her beauty when she did that..

"Ron-san? Is something wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Oh, no…hi" Ron said weakly as he tried to compose himself and ask her something.

Keyword: Tried.

"So…uh…how do you…umm…do you w…want…t-to…"

"Spit it out already, it's not like you're going to ask her to marry you"

Ron jerked at the voice, seeing Aithne. She had an annoyed face, partially because he totally ignored her when she was standing right beside him and the fact that he seemed spineless and the type to look at the surface of people only. Actually, it was totally because he ignored her, she isn't one to dislike people because of a minute judgment.

"Umm…yes…I mean…no I'm…asking i-if… she would want to…g-go de-gnoming with me…I mean…us…my brothers and uhh… would you?" Ron finished, ears red.

"He's asking if you wanted to go see them de-gnome the garden" Aithne whispered to a confused Sakura.

" Oh. Sure I'd love to Ron" Sakura said kindly.

Ron was so thrilled that he didn't wonder how she knew what he was saying. He zoomed ahead, telling his brothers the good news, forgetting to show them the way.

"He could put Hinata to shame" Aithne said off-handedly. Sakura chuckled and agreed but came to his defense, "At least he tried".

---------------------------

Harry and Hermione weren't there, so Aithne guessed the twins made Ron invite them, correction, Sakura to spend some time with her. She also guessed that the twins were going to be in big trouble for not helping Mrs.Weasley with the dinner.

"Well you don't hang out with my Sakura without a price" Aithne, who was watching the boys moon over Sakura, whispered evilly. Then she gave a laugh. The boys didn't notice and it didn't bother her. She knew she was as beautiful as Sakura was but Sakura's personality made her the better choice. Aithne had no need to be nice in her whole life, why start now?

Sakura gave Aithne a quick look and she replied with an Eriol smile. Speaking of Eriol, she wondered where he was. She couldn't feel him anywhere near her but she knew better than to worry about Eriol, even with an evil wizard on the loose. Actually worse come to worse she'd be worried more about the evil wizard (or any innocent bystander) than about Eriol.

"You hold them by the leg and swing them around so they won't know how to come back, then toss them out" George, or Fred, explained to Sakura. "It's okay if you don't get it right at first, it takes a lot of strength to do it properly" the other twin said in a boasting voice.

_Ahhh, male chauvinists, haven't seen them in a while_ Aithne thought when Sakura effortlessly picked a gnome by the ankle and swung it out of the garden and beyond.

"Lemme try" Aithne jumped off the fence she was sitting on and found a gnome running away. She grabbed it before it could escape and did the same. Before long she and Sakura was fighting with each other, who could throw the most in one minute, who could throw the most the furthest and who can find the cutest gnome.

Suddenly, they found themselves out of gnomes and barely an hour passed. Sakura begged the Weasleys (Fred, George and Ron), "Can I pleaseeee keep one??? They're so cute" The Weasleys looked adamant, wondering how she could find them cute.

"They really are cute, in the elemental meaning" Aithne agreed, hugging one of the gnomes.

"How could you now have gnomes in your house?" Ron asked. "Almost all the wizarding household has one"

"Well, we don't live in the wizarding household" Aithne answered for Sakura. She didn't like the tone of what the Ron said. Maybe she was just paranoid. Maybe she wanted to see his annoyed face, as once again, she butted in on his conversation with Sakura. Not that he had one in the first place. She had a faint feeling that he didn't like her for hogging all of Sakura's attention.

Before Fred and George could ask them about it Mrs. Weasley called them out.

"FRED, GEORGE, RON!!!!!!!!!!!!" In a second, they said a hasty bye and ran towards the house.

"You should stop toying with him" Sakura said. Aithne just smiled the Eriol smile.

----------------------------------------------

Sakura was taking a walk, to pass the time while waiting for dinner to start, when she heard a whisper somewhere. Thinking it was another intruder, she walked towards the source of it.

"Please, Tonks, not today…" Sakura relaxed her guard when she recognized the voice and the name.

"Then when!!! Not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow, not ever, that's what you're really saying!!!! I love you, so why don't you get over yourself and tell me you love me too!!!" By now Sakura knew it was a private conversation and wanted to walk away but her feet stubbornly stuck there to see how the conversation would end.

"It's not that simple" Lupin said in a tired voice.

"It's never simple for you. What more do you want?!"

"M-maybeI don't love you"

_I don't love you… I don't love you…_ that sentence voiced out Sakura's fear that has been buried deep in her heart. The sentence repeated in her head, over and over again, until she could almost believe it was Syaoran who said it, not Lupin.

Tonks ran away, tears flowing out, not noticing Sakura who was on her knees. Aithne, immediately sensing her sister's pain, found her and hugged her saying mentally and physically, "He loves you, he loves you, he loves you" She bombarded Sakura's mind with the times they had together, the happiness, hoping the Shiro and Eriol would notice it soon. Even she was beginning to break down under the stress.

Shiro and Eriol picked up on the spike in Sakura's emotions; they both arrived and took Sakura from Aithne, calming her. They could also feel the spike in Aithne's emotions. A dangerous one.

Aithne walked up to Lupin and punched him. He fell on the ground, stunned.

"Don't you DARE say you don't love her!!! You are willing to give up a gift, a blessing, a freakin' miracle because of what? You're too old, too poor, too much of a werewolf? Don't kid yourself…you're just a coward. You don't love her? You don't deserve to love her; she couldn't commit enough crimes to have the misfortune of falling in love with a cold heartless bastard like you"

"Aithne" Shiro whispered into her ear, arms around her waist, to stop her from doing anything more. She calmed herself down and nodded; he let her go.

"You don't understand" Lupin said, he looked so weak and feeble that Aithne didn't do anything but stared him in the eyes. The way her hands were cupping his face, one could almost say it was a gentle caress. For a moment he could've sworn he saw her eyes turn into stilts.

"It's you who don't understand"


End file.
